Strengthening India's Tobacco Control Law to Protect Youth from Tobacco Use

Strategic Insights -

Experts from various fields, including the chairman of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, representatives from retailers' association, and global and local experts, came together to discuss ways to strengthen India's national tobacco control law. The discussion, organized by the National Law School of India University, highlighted the need to increase the legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21 years, adopt a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertisements and promotions, and ban the sale of single sticks of cigarettes and bidis to prevent children and youth from initiating tobacco use at an early age.

Key Takeaways:

  • Increasing the legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21 years is crucial to prevent young people from ever starting to smoke and reduce tobacco-related deaths, diseases, and healthcare costs.
  • Adopting a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertisements and promotions is necessary to prevent tobacco companies from exploiting loopholes in the law to target impressionable minds of children and youth.
  • Banning the sale of single sticks of cigarettes and bidis will reduce their easy accessibility and affordability to youth, making it more difficult for them to initiate tobacco use.
  • The Global Youth Tobacco Survey reveals that nearly one-fifth of students aged 13-15 used some form of tobacco product in their life in India, highlighting the need to strengthen laws and penalty provisions to deter tobacco companies from selling and advertising addictive products to children and youth.
  • Countries such as Ethiopia, Guam, and the United States have increased the minimum age to 21 years for buying tobacco products, while at least 86 countries have banned the sale of single stick cigarettes to control their easy accessibility and affordability to youth.

Statistics:

  • Nearly one-fifth of students aged 13-15 used any form of tobacco product in their life in India (Global Youth Tobacco Survey).
  • 38% of cigarettes, 47% of bidi, and 52% of smokeless tobacco users picked up the habit before their 10th birthday (Global Youth Tobacco Survey).
  • India has the second-largest number (268 million) of tobacco users in the world, with 13 lakhs dying every year from tobacco-related diseases.
  • 10 lakh deaths are due to smoking, with over 200,000 due to secondhand smoke exposure, and over 35,000 due to smokeless tobacco use (press release).

Sources:

  • "Chairman of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, representatives from retailers' association, global and local experts come together to discuss ways to strengthen India's tobacco control law" (Contify.com)
  • Global Youth Tobacco Survey (Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare)
  • Press release by Omega Printers & Publishers Pvt Ltd, distributed by Contify.com